Little Busters ~Refrain~ - Episode 12 Discussion / Poll

[Magicflier]

Originally Posted by erneiz_hyde

I disagree.

If anything, I think calling for help is what most weak and timid person would do in the first place. It's the confident and strong willed who dashes head first towards a disaster to help people. In that sense, you could say Kyousuke definitely succeeded in making Riki stronger.

If there is someone reliant or someone that the weak person can depend on (that is either with him or nearby) then yes, that person would have enough confidence to run and call for help by himself. Usually somebody needs to bring a weak person back to his senses to be able to act accordingly quicker than wasting time first in shock. Riki is stronger now to to able to go to the site (and inside it) himself, if it was his old self then he would of gotten an attack on the spot the moment he sees the bus and the blood. So you're right on that point. :3

Originally Posted by GDB

Also, didn't Japan ban cell phones at school? Meaning they probably didn't even have them on them.

It's likely they have their cellphones on them.
It's not allowed during classes, but it is allowed during trips since families want to stay in contact with their kids.
It can be used during own time, just not during activities. :3

[Monoriu]

Originally Posted by GDB

Also, didn't Japan ban cell phones at school? Meaning they probably didn't even have them on them.

The OVA episode showed clearly that they have cell phones, even inside the school.

[blakstealth]

Seeing everyone again made me all ;_; inside. I'm just waiting on the deus ex machina that's gonna revive everyone and the Little Busters will be alive once more.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

I think the far bigger thing in the picture here isn't some insignificant detail like this, but the more thematic and narrative choices being made, which you already alluded to in a previous post. I'm going to refrain (pun not intended) talking about this because I am a VN reader so whatever I have to say is a spoiler and I'm not sure what the anime is doing 100% yet, but I'll just say at the very least that I agree with your concern about it.

I definitely agree that's the bigger concern than the emergency call one. The emergency call one is eyebrow-raising to me, but it is the sort of thing I might dock a point for in an episode rating if I'm not feeling particularly forgiving. In other words, it's pretty minor.

But here is where I see the two concerns as a bit related....


I'm not even sure why Riki (or Rin) would be trying to play hero here. The way Kyousuke laid things out to Riki seemed pretty definitive to me.

I'll certainly admit that I have an emotional distance caused by being just a viewer, and not Riki himself, but if I was Riki and I managed to stay calm, I think I would assume that everybody except Rin and me died in the crash itself just based on how Kyousuke is presenting all this information to Riki and acting like nothing can be done about it.

To put it another way, if there's some hope of saving others, why isn't Kyousuke focusing on that? Everything Kyousuke has done this season is about emotionally preparing Riki and Rin to face a great tragedy, not to be heroes that saves people from a great tragedy. The implication is clear - "Everybody except you and Rin are dead, Riki, and that can't be helped." I mean, if Kyousuke's plan was to prepare Riki/Rin to be rescue heroes, I'd think he'd be showing him and Rin sentai shows and superhero comics and magical girl shows and Valvrave the Liberator and stuff like that.

So my thinking was "Call the ambulance so the families of our friends and classmates can be notified as soon as possible to something they need to be alerted to, and also so Rin and I can get picked up by a police car or an ambulance ASAP and driven safely home". If the rescue workers actually manage to save anybody, then that's honestly just miraculous gravy on top, since it's not something that Kyousuke held out even the slightest glimmer of hope for.


Anyway, I'll leave it at that. I hope my point isn't too muddled, lol.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I'll certainly admit that I have an emotional distance caused by being just a viewer, and not Riki himself, but if I was Riki and I managed to stay calm, I think I would assume that everybody except Rin and me died in the crash itself just based on how Kyousuke is presenting all this information to Riki and acting like nothing can be done about it.

From what I could tell, no one who we saw in the dream world was dead as of the dream world ending. Time froze, or nearly froze, and it was the collective consciousnesses of those who were dying that built the dream world. To be themselves, they had to still be alive. While it's certainly possible they died between the time the dream world ended and the time Riki went back to help them, they were technically still alive before that.

I think what Kyousuke meant was more that Riki and Rin were the only ones who would survive without treatment. After all, expecting treatment under these circumstances, especially when the bus is going to blow, is basically denying an inevitable death. And without knowing when it would blow, preparing them to save the others is essentially sending them to their deaths. He'd rather they live than try to save everyone and have no one live.

[Leo_Otaku]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

To put it another way, if there's some hope of saving others, why isn't Kyousuke focusing on that?

That is a good point. It would be sort of like in Madoka or Stein;s Gate then. To me it seems like this is something different rather than trying to change what happened in the past but to change the future. I'm guessing Kyousuke never tried to do that or thought that was possible. In my thinking, he was dead already and knew this and he probably never even fathomed that there was any chance of doing anything else.

[silvercover]

its also possible only riki and rin are the ones who can even move properly, everyone else would be either injured gravely/knocked out that it would take some time to get them, which could be the time the bus would blow up.

[Dr. Casey]

Originally Posted by A Silly Person

I'd think he'd be showing him ... Valvrave the Liberator and stuff like that.

Little Busters takes place in 2007, so I guess the greatest tragedy of the series is that thanks to the bus crash, nobody except Riki and Rin will get to see Valvrave. ;_; Kyosuke, Masato, and Kengo all would have loved it I'm sure.

Originally Posted by Monoriu

The OVA episode showed clearly that they have cell phones, even inside the school.

A search for "cell phones banned in Japan" brings up news stories mainly from the 2008-2010 region. Maybe cell phones were more tolerated in schools during the time Little Busters takes place? (May-June 2007)

Very good episode, kind of a sibling to episode 11 except with Rin as the primary focus. These last two episodes are really interesting in the sense that they're so wildly different from anything that's come before; as important an episode as 11 was, 12 broke more new ground in the sense that it operated outside the parameters set by all the previous episodes up to this point (takes place in the real world rather than the dream world, there's no longer a "Little Busters" crew to speak of but instead just Riki and Rin, continues beyond the time loop rather than being trapped within it, etc. 11 was more 'traditional' despite being such a pivotal episode. Or something, I'm sleepy and foggyheaded).

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

Little Busters takes place in 2007, so I guess the greatest tragedy of the series is that thanks to the bus crash, nobody except Riki and Rin will get to see Valvrave. ;_; Kyosuke, Masato, and Kengo all would have loved it I'm sure.

Masato would have totally loved Thunder. The two would have been best buds if they ever met.

And Kyousuke is what you get if L-Elf and Shouko had a baby boy.

[Birdway]

What is this about?

[Yye1]

that's for LB EX, mostly advertising the saya arc

[Archon_Wing]

So they find the will to face the world. Nope, that's just the beginning. It was only so they could just have a chance. Riki decides that as the main character, the show must last at least more than on episode, but he gets knocked out and apparently cell phones were broken or some shit and we all know only teenagers and not emergency services can save the day so it's just up to them!

So it's up to Rin now and she can't handle it. How will they get out of it?



Seizon Senryaku! Oh, nope, unfortunately. Would have been epic.



Wha... What? Nope, the power of yuri isn't gonna save the day, either even though that'd be a unique (and silly) ending, instead Rin must face the world.



Is that a subliminal message from JC Staff?



So after an LSD inspired scene, Go Shinji Rin! Go face the real world and don't go strangling people either.

We're approaching a Key ending. Oh man. My typical attitude towards that...



Good episode I guess, that shows the over side of the fight. What I really want is Kyousuke leaving a baseball suggesting he'll be back. That'd be totally awesome.

[weaponX]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

What I really want is Kyousuke leaving a baseball suggesting he'll be back. That'd be totally awesome.

Yes, yes it would!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQR1qLyG94w

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

So it's up to Rin now and she can't handle it. How will they get out of it?



Seizon Senryaku! Oh, nope, unfortunately. Would have been epic.

...Now you have me imagining Komari with the Penguin Hat on and shouting "Seizon Senryaku!" It is absolutely hilarious.

Wha... What? Nope, the power of yuri isn't gonna save the day, either even though that'd be a unique (and silly) ending, instead Rin must face the world.

Kyubey should have showed up when Komari offered to make one wish for Rin. Dude's really slacking off. Komari is perfectly suited to be a magical girl, lol.

Good episode I guess, that shows the over side of the fight. What I really want is Kyousuke leaving a baseball suggesting he'll be back. That'd be totally awesome.

Little Busters! 2: Judgement Day

Vehicles are rebelling against humanity due to an AI-built-into-a-car going out of control. But Riki will lead a rebellion against it, sending Kyousuke back in time to help prevent the coming destruction.

"Hasta la Vista, Volkswagen!" - Kyousuke, as he blows away an enemy car with a bazooka.

[Archon_Wing]

So many spinoff ideas are possible with that Triple. Though the magical girl one sounds like something Key would do; and lord knows they've gotten away with worse ideas for spinoffs.

The Kyubey idea is scary though as a Key deconstruction. xD

[Marcus H.]

Wait, where's Riki? D: Hey Rin, go positive quickly and save your narcoleptic friend!

[Vicious Killer]

Not emotional as the same name VN, but I still love this episode